And this is my fic for
yuletide 2008! Original fic was
here.
Title: Revelations
Fandom: Greek (tv)
Rating: PG
Genre/Pairing: Evan/Casey & Cappie/Casey (love triangle)
Word Count: 1,460
Warnings: Spoilers for episode 1x15
Summary: Casey walks home from Dobler's with Evan and ponders her relationship with Cappie.
Disclaimer: Greek is not mine and these characters do not belong to me!
Revelations
Evan walked Casey home from Dobler's with his hand ghosting along her back, talking quietly about this and that, but Casey was more focused on the fluttering feeling that had started to develop in her stomach, the one that had caught her so completely unawares. It was outrageous and random - she loved Cappie, partying ways and obnoxiousness and all. She hadn't been attracted to anyone else since she'd met him. It was unthinkable. She wasn't that type of girl.
They walked past all the Greek houses, which seemed to be a metaphor for her life, with Kappa Tau coming up first, followed by ZBZ, and then finally Omega Chi, right before they turned up the street towards the dorms. She wondered what her sisters were up to, if they would think that she was silly for having such a crisis of affection when she was in a steady, happy relationship with a cute, funny guy like Cappie.
Steady, happy relationship. That was what her relationship with Cappie was, right? Casey was pretty sure that being ditched out on to get trashed at the KT house wasn't the definition of steady, and it certainly didn't make her happy, but during the good times, when she and Cappie drank cheap beer and watched movies, snuggled on his bed, or had snowball fights, she felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world.
She glanced over at Evan, who'd grown silent as they approached the dorms. So much about him had changed over the course of six months, and it was almost like he was someone she'd never met before. For the first couple months of college, when they had all hung out together, he'd seemed like Cappie's unwitting sidekick. He was always nice to her, of course, but he'd been shy and passive, and his rebellious-rich-kid phase had been slightly endearing. He'd faded into the background when he was with Cappie, who was loud and bright like the sun.
In truth, however, Evan had never really caught her eye - which is why it was such a surprise to her when he finally got fed up with the way the Kappa Tau brothers treated him and pledged for Omega Chi instead. Cappie had immediately blamed the switch on Evan needing to be the center of attention, but this was not the impression she'd gotten of Evan at all. He was studious, quiet, and polite - all evidence of his good upbringing and the amount of pressure his parents put on him. He was almost ridiculously patient with Cappie, which was a feat unto itself. Casey may have loved Cappie to death, but she also recognized that he had to be a very difficult person to live with.
The change had been for the best, as far as she could tell, because Evan was here, in front of her, responsibly walking her home while Cappie wailed away at karaoke night. Clean shaven, wearing a handsome blue suit and tie along with a fresh coat of confidence, Evan was almost like someone she'd never met before. Oh, there had been hints of this new person hidden inside the shy Kappa Tau nicknamed "Bing," but without the confidence to back the gentlemanly behavior, he'd always just seemed a bit of a pushover.
They were almost to her dorm, and Evan was slowing down, walking at a slower pace and apparently hoping that she wouldn't notice. She smiled slightly to herself, surprised at the warmth that went through her at the thought. Cappie would have rushed her home in a hurry so that he could have gone back to the KT house and partied some more, but Evan wanted to delay his time with her as long as possible.
When she looked over at him, he was watching her, the expression in his eyes unreadable.
"Thank you," she said at last, uncomfortable with the silence that had fallen. "For walking me home, I mean."
"I can fight off the crazies with the best of them," Evan grinned at her.
"Of course you can," she smiled back, unconsciously moving a bit closer. "A girl would be hard pressed to find a better knight in shining armor." He flushed slightly and looked away, down at his perfectly-shined shoes. She was flirting and she knew it, knew she should turn it off and move back to a friendly distance. He was her boyfriend's roommate, and he used to be Cappie's best friend as well.
Soon they were in front of her dorm, standing in the bright pool of light that surrounded the main entrance. She knew she should disengage, go back to her perfect life with her amazing friends and her great boyfriend, but with Evan giving her such an inscrutable look, she found it very hard to peel her eyes away.
"Are you happy?" he asked, his voice strong over the sound of music blaring from one of the ground-floor rooms. Casey made eye contact and her heart began to pound, a drumbeat in her chest. Of course she was happy. She loved Cappie. She loved ZBZ, and college, and Frannie and Ashleigh, and everything about her life.
She nodded slightly and Evan stepped away from her, cold night air filling the space where his warmth had been. The pounding background beat changed to a slow song, the gentle hum of the music a distinct counterpoint to the beating of her heart. Casey Cartwright didn't know what she wanted, who she wanted. Evan had been insignificant and small that morning, forgotten in the harsh light of day as she awoke in Cappie's bed, with Cappie's strong arm around her waist - but in the dim lights of the dorm entrance, suddenly Evan was larger than life, colorful, something special she'd never quite seen before, and it scared her.
"Then I'm happy for you," he continued on, interrupting her inner monologue. He was trying to be chivalrous, trying to be the good guy, do the right thing. Sudden insight made her realize that Evan had always liked her, as long as Cappie had, but had stepped aside for his friend when he'd realized he had little chance of competing for her heart. If he'd only been himself from the very beginning, instead of trying to be some Cappie clone, maybe she'd have noticed him, before it was too late. "Good night, Casey."
"Good night," she said quietly, watching his retreating figure make its way back down the path, towards his own dorm. She hugged herself tightly and scanned her ID at the door, the blast of warmth from inside stinging her eyes. She was so confused, and she knew she could never do anything about that confusion. For all of her sudden feelings for Evan, she still loved Cappie.
Back in her room, she picked up her cell. Her roommate was still out, probably at some party elsewhere in the dorms, and she had the room to herself. She wavered between Ashleigh and Frannie in her phonebook. Best friend or big sis? Who could she trust to keep her new feelings quiet? Evan Chambers was someone she'd never met before, and Cappie was the party animal he'd always been - stop the presses! How was it big news?
She put the phone back on her nightstand and curled up on her bed, confused and worried. In the morning, she'd wake up and be back to normal. She'd put on her makeup, do up her hair, get dressed in one of her cutest outfits and go find Cappie, apologizing for leaving him at Dobler's and walking home with Evan. She would be back to herself, peppy and energetic and happy, without a care in the world. She would forget that she ever felt that spark with Evan Chambers, because that would be wrong, and Cappie loved her and she loved him and they were nineteen and happy.
But in the dark hour after midnight, she let herself truly feel. She felt how discontent she truly was becoming with her relationship with Cappie (so many times, left waiting while he was at the KT house, or while he was drunk somewhere. So many dates, cancelled without warning). She felt that magnetic attraction that she had to Evan, the attraction that had come out of nowhere and appeared the moment her eyes rested upon his face, so much more distinguished and confidence now that he was firmly ensconced with Omega Chi.
In those small hours, with her iPod blasting sappy music and her headphones in, lying curled up on her bed, Casey knew that something fundamental in her life had changed that night.
Two years later, looking back on it, she realized it had been the beginning of the end.